The post-Thanksgiving NFL landscape is a very challenging one for football bettors.
December’s schedule not only brings chilly temperatures and erratic weather but playoff pushes, missing motivation, coaches on the hot seat, a season’s worth of wear and tear, and – special for 2020 – COVID-19 outbreaks.
There’s so much more to consider when betting the NFL Week 13 odds. But despite all those additional influences, the best NFL betting strategy remains: get the best of the number. That means knowing when to pull the trigger on your wagers.
These are our best NFL betting tips for the Week 13 lines to bet now, and the lines to bet later.
Washington Football Team (+10) at Pittsburgh Steelers: Bet Now
Thanks to Baltimore’s COVID outbreak, Washington catches Pittsburgh on a short Week 13 turnaround. The Steelers, who were supposed to battle the Ravens on Thanksgiving Thursday, play their AFC North rivals Tuesday (fingers crossed) leaving little time to prep for a feisty Football Team out of D.C.
As of Sunday night – two days away from that Ravens-Steelers game – Washington is catching 10 points on the road in Pittsburgh this Sunday. The Football Team played on Thanksgiving – a huge win at Dallas – and now reaps the benefits of that mini bye against the top team in the AFC.
There are not many positives that can come out of the Steelers’ Tuesday contest, beyond beating up on a shorthanded Baltimore squad, and that’s not going to be enough to lift this spread any higher. And with a trip to Buffalo in Week 14, Washington gets Pittsburgh in a dreaded sandwich spot: letdown from a wild week and rivalry game and looking ahead to a battle with the Bills.
Take all the points you can with Washington now (also because this line will come off the board come Tuesday). The WFT has covered in four of its last six and is well-rested in Week 13.
New England Patriots vs. Los Angeles Chargers (+1): Bet Later
We’ve seen this from the Patriots already this year. New England skitters along and then posts one big win and everyone jumps on the bandwagon. How else can you explain the Pats moving from as big as +2.5 to +1 for their cross-country trip to L.A. this Sunday? Well, besides the Chargers playing shit football…
New England ground out an ugly 20-17 home victory over Arizona in Week 12 and that’s helping push this spread close to a pick’em. The Patriots are 1-4 ATS on the road and fell into a similar situation at Houston in Week 11, fresh off a big home win over Baltimore the following game.
Say what you want about Anthony Lynn – and people are – but he does know Bill Belichick very well from his time in the AFC East with the Jets and Bills. The L.A. passing attack can scorch that fancy new turf at SoFi Stadium and New England gives up 9.2 yards per pass attempt on the road—dead last in the NFL.
The Chargers have come up short for sports bettors in five straight but if you’re buying the Bolts at home in Week 13, wait it out and see if you can get a pick (or even points) by the time this game kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday.
Cincinnati Bengals at Miami Dolphins (Under 42.5): Bet Now
The Burrow-less Bengals looked how we thought they would, putting up only 17 points in a home loss to the New York Giants this past weekend. Cincinnati second-stringer Brandon Allen completed 17 of 29 passes for 136 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Cincinnati was three for 10 on third downs and picked up only 3.4 yards per play in that game, and now takes on a Dolphins squad that's second-best in third-down defense, allowing foes to convert on less than 34 percent of their third-down snaps. On top of that, Miami is a stop unit rooted in havoc, generating 17 takeaways on the year, including two interceptions in Sunday’s victory over the Jets.
Offensively, the Fins aren’t fantastic—no matter which QB is under center. Ryan Fitzpatrick has jumped back into the fray in relief of the injured Tua Tagovailoa (thumb) and may need to lace up that beard one more time in Week 13. Miami has managed a combined 33 points the past two games with an offense in the bottom third of DVOA, per Football Outsiders. If you’re bracing for another boring game, bet the Under now as this total has started to tick down from 43 to 42.5 points.
Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans (Under 53): Bet Later
Derrick Henry ran up one side of the Indianapolis Colts and down the other, helping Tennessee drop 45 points on its divisional rival in Week 12. That ass waxing has inflated this Week 13 total and continues to puff it up with early action on the Over moving the number from 52 to 53 points.
Let’s not take anything away from Henry’s performance this past Sunday but the Browns present a pretty stout ground game as well. Cleveland’s two-headed RB monster of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt is the best rushing combo in the NFL, helping the Browns boast the No. 1 average run yards per game.
There’s no shortage of home run hitters on both sides but the team that wins will be the team that's able to transform all those gains on the ground into sweet, sweet TOP (time of possession), each hoping to protect a suspect stop unit. On top of that, Cleveland could get pass rusher extraordinaire Myles Garrett back from the COVID list in time for Week 13. If you wonder about the Under, chill the F out and let this tick a little higher before you get down.
Where Can I Get the Best Odds on the NFL?
You can bet on NFL odds at every online and casino sportsbooks, including NFL moneylines, spreads, Over/Under totals and a ton of NFL prop odds. Head over to our best-suggested sportsbooks for the top spots to bet on NFL odds in your area.
